Dog ordered to be euthanized is no longer in Shrewsbury

SHREWSBURY — A woman whose dog was deemed dangerous and ordered to be euthanized withdrew her appeal, but the dog is nowhere to be found.

Jeneen E. Demers of 31 Westmont Road appealed the Board of Selectmen's Oct. 9 order that her dog Saydee, a 2-year-old boxer-type, be euthanized. An appeal hearing was scheduled for this week in Westboro District Court. But Ms. Demers withdrew the appeal. Consequently, the town's euthanasia order becomes final.

However, town officials do not know where the dog is.

Town Counsel T. Philip Leader of Worcester said Ms. Demer's lawyer, Tom G. Vukmirovitts of Worcester, told him the dog is not in Shrewsbury anymore.

"We don't know where it is. We know it's not in Shrewsbury," Mr. Leader said. "We're not going to chase the dog out of town. If the dog comes back in town, we're going to pick him up and euthanize him."

Mr. Vukmirovitts and Ms. Demers could not be reached for comment.

Selectmen in June deemed Sadyee to be dangerous and its year-old companion, Pesty, also a boxer-type, to be a nuisance, after several residents told selectmen that the dogs frequently got loose and terrorized the neighborhood. Thirty-two residents signed a petition saying they feared the dogs and wanted them removed from the neighborhood.

The board ordered, among other things, that the two dogs be muzzled whenever they were outside.

Ms. Demers was back before selectmen on Oct. 8 after a Liberty Street couple testified that one of them and one of their dogs had been bitten by Saydee in Dean Park. They said neither Saydee nor Pesty was muzzled.

The couple also said Ms. Demers gave them a false name and hurried to her car and sped off. The board, consequently, ordered Saydee to be euthanized.

Ms. Demers kept the dog during the 10 days she had to file an appeal. She continued to keep the dog once the appeal was filed because it starts the process over.

Town Manager Daniel Morgado said he doesn't think the town can legally take custody of a dog immediately after it is ordered to be euthanized. He pointed out that state Chapter 140-157, which regulates nuisance and dangerous dogs, was reworked about 18 months ago.

"I don't think the law allows us to do that. The way the statute works, the board issues the order. And if a person files an appeal, that starts the whole process from scratch," he said.

A similar incident happened in 2010. Selectmen ordered 4-year-old Roxie, a Rottweiler owned by Mary Kempton Trost of 10 Latura St., to be euthanized after a standing-room-only hearing at which several Latura Street residents recounted how they or their pets had been attacked or terrorized by the dog during a two-year period. The residents also said Ms. Trost could not control the dog and would try to intimidate them with the Rottweiler.

Ms. Trost lost her court appeal, but by that time, the Rottweiler allegedly had been taken to Georgia, where Ms. Trost's husband lived.

Contact Elaine Thompson at ethompson@telegram.com. Follow her on Twitter @EThompsonTG